InfoPath Dev

I have created a form to be used as an invoice for a metal recycling company. I have a repeating table with a dropdown list in it. The values for the list are looked up in an MS Access table. The materials are listed in the dropdown list and a respective price is populated into a field next to it when a material is selected. They have 3 prices for a single item (Aluminum Cans Board, Alum. Cans Top, and Alum. Cans Dealer)...My first question is, how can I have just "Aluminum Cans" be displayed in the table when one of these is selected? Next, I have separators in the list. Is there a way to distinguish the materials and the separators by color or font?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

I'm not sure what you're asking about displaying only "Aluminum Cans" when something is chosen, but maybe try either rules or code on a textbox and setting it's value to whatever you want depending on what is chosen from the drop down?

To change color and font dynamically, go to the properties of your control and at the bottom of the "Display" tab there will be a button named "Conditional Formatting." Use this dialog to tell InfoPath how to display your controls upon different events.

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Matt Faus

Hi David,

I agree with Matt, we may need more info on what you are trying to achieve.

The way I understood it, you may want to edit your Query linked to your Access DB to add a new "Aluminum Can" column.

For the color part, I am not sure if you are talking the entire field or you are trying to have formatting within the field (which works only with Rich Text Boxes in InfoPath).

Regards,

Franck Dauché

Thanks for your input guys..
To clarify a little...there are 3 different prices that they pay for aluminum cans (board - $.45, top - $.50, and dealer - $.55). Different customers are paid different amounts depending on certain factors. So in the dropdown list I have:
---Aluminum---
Aluminum Cans Board
Aluminum Cans Top
Aluminum Cans Dealer
Aluminum Wire
Aluminum Siding
Cast Aluminum
etc.
---Copper---
Bare Copper Wire
Insul. Copper Wire
Other Copper
etc.

What they want is to be able to select the appropriate aluminum cans for the customer (board, top, dealer) but only have "Aluminum Cans" displayed on the invoice...so the customer doesn't see what catagory they are paid in.
For the colors part...What I want to change is just color of the
---Aluminum--- and ---Copper--- separators in the drop down list. So when they drop down the list, they can easily distinguish between the different categories.
I appreciate your help. Thanks,
david

Ok David,

If your final display needs to be different from your input screen, you may want to build a "Print View".
1 solution is to add a node in your schema where you store what needs to be displayed. If the user is selecting any of your aluminum can choices, the node stores: "Aluminum Can". On the print view, you replace your drop down by a textbox linked to that "hidden" node. You even then the ability to hide that box altogether if no aluminum can type was selected on the data entry side.

Does it make sense?

Regards,

Franck Dauché

I'm still new to infopath, but I see what you're saying. Thanks for the advice, Franck!
david

You are very welcome.

Good luck with your InfoPath developments.

Franck Dauché